Not Love, But Almost
by Adobo-chan
Summary: COMPLETE. Falling in love was never on the menu. Far from it, he had promised himself he'd hate her and her main house family. But in the end, the fire of hate cools and love may prove to burn brighter than any other emotion. NejiHina.
1. Seduction of a Caged Bird

AN: Hey! Since my first Naruto one-shot was so good, I decided something new would be nice. Now, I have a Neji and Hinata. My last one was an Itachi and Hinata fic. It's odd, I know, but I LOVE odd couples. Or, as my friend might say, the "crackpot" pairings. What can you do? ((sigh))

Summary: Two-part story. Neji/Hinata. His hatred for her was strong because she differed in birth from him. But, over time, hatred turned to passion, a lusty feeling engulfing his soul. He had always thought it was unrequited, so he kept quiet as he always had. But can a one-sided passion turn into a two-sided love?

Warnings: Spelling errors and some OOC-ness. Umm... _maybe_ some perverted thoughts later, but nothing too gross.

Disclaimer: All rights reserved.

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Seduction of a Caged Bird

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I hated her.

Her and her disgusting main house family.

I hated what they had reduced me to.

What they reduced my _father_ to.

But, it wasn't their fault. My father chose his destiny, the only choice he had ever really made in his entire life. No one had forced it on him, held a kunai to his head and stabbed him to death. But he placed his own life, his family and all else behind him, for the chance to make his first and last decision. How selfish he was, to put his needs and wants, before his immediate family. To give up everything because he wanted to make due with what little freedom he had. How honorable he had been to give himself up, while I thought he was an idiot.

I hope to have the same chance as him one day.

Although my separated family was trying to join, everyone knew there was tension. They, the main house, still held power over us because of our seals burned into our foreheads by their own hands. The thought that someone would use such a curse upon us had never left our minds. We, the branch family, were still as powerless as the day each of us were born.

What can you do when the fate of your entire life is held in another's hand?

That was why I hated her.

Hinata wasn't the one who placed the curse on me, but I still wanted to despise her. I tried _so_ _hard_ to loathe her, but I couldn't. She challenged me, a genius a hundred times more powerful than her, and she pushed herself to a limit no one knew she had. A level no one would ever see. I was the only one who would ever see such potential.

Her hands, although naturally calloused by her training, were still weak when she struck. Her stances were still flimsy and I could have easily swept at her feet. I watched her try to keep in sync with me, but it was fruitless. She wasn't anywhere near my level of strength or experience. But, no matter how many strikes I hit her with, no matter how many times she bled over the stone floor, she refused to stay down. She wouldn't give in, no matter how much I hurt her.

She did it all for him.

Even when she had lost, he, _Uzumaki Naruto_, had come down to see Hinata. I watched as he took her blood onto his fingertips. He held them to me, showing the crimson liquid drip, and made me a promise in front of everyone. He swore to avenge Hinata's defeat and defeat me himself. Back then, I thought it nothing more than a grudge, something he'd forget as soon as he was out on the field.

Oh, how wrong I was.

He took her sullied blood as a treaty to defeat me. And he did. I was shamed by his hands, tricked by a shinobi with his own way of the ninja. I had lost some of my dignity by losing to the blonde-haired fox. But, in return, I gained his respect, and he had mine.

After that, the days blurred together again. No more battles like the one Naruto had given me, no more than the regular training routines with Rock Lee, TenTen and Gai-sensei. It was merely another day, another mission. Gai-sensei and his embarrassing declerations against Kakashi-sensei. Rock Lee and _his_ embarrassing declerations against me. All the while, TenTen watched with passive eyes, taking in everything with a neutral look. However, I'm fairly sure she was holding back her laughter as I was "taking care" of Rock Lee's disturbing habits of running around with Gai-sensei and performing different little spectacles. How these two were such excellent ninjas was way beyond me, but their attitudes suited them, I suppose. Yes, everything was returning back to its normal schedule, but not all things were the same.

At least, not inside the Hyuuga household.

Within the estate, however, the habits were beginning to change. Branch members, though still cursed, were learning to adapt to being "equal" to our main house counterparts. However, the seals we held were still very much in effect. Although there was a way to create the seal, we had no way to reverse it.

It was a half-baked plan.

But, no one had ever thought that the rules would change, or that segregation would now end. The Hyuuga family's attitude had never been easily adaptable to new ideas. Tradition was everything to the main house, so no one had ever thought a counter would be needed. It looked as if the main house had underestimated time. After all, everything had to metamorph and evolve. Life wasn't going to remain one way forever.

I learned that the hard way.

Because I fell for the head of the family.

Because she changed into a person even _I_ could admire

I hadn't noticed because I was so caught up in hating her for what she was not. I wanted to destroy her because she was born differently, just as I had been. Neither of us had been at fault because fate had a funny way of working. Power had shifted among the separated family because I had been born with the strength that everyone envied and fought for.

But, I didn't want it. I saw no need in becoming the best. I trained to avenge my father, but I had nothing to avenge him for. His choice to die was his own, now my number one goal was no longer in play. So, I trained, still as hard, pushing myself to levels higher than even the most efficient of ninja. I wanted to fight Naruto again, and when I did, I would beat him. I would gain back my pride, and those depthless, white eyes wouldn't stare at the blonde-haired boy anymore.

No. Those eyes would be mine.

However, training had ended for today. I had just newly wrapped my knuckles with bandages as I came across the small dojo of the house. I could hear light panting, knowing who was the one behind the doors. Her distinct gasps weren't hard to hear. The air was still, so sensing her breathing wasn't hard. A smirk crossed my features as I heard her fall to her knees, her pants harsh as she struggled to regain breath.

Knowing she would need someone to train with, I slid the door open. Her eyes came up to mine, confusion and surprise catching the light of the well-lit room. I gave her a nod of my head, while she bowed her own down. She was uncomfortable in my presence still, but not because I had tried to kill her once before. She was merely afraid of me. She had always been afraid of me.

Placing my feet one after the other, I trudged to stand by her. She looked up again and climbed to her feet. She stumbled as she tried, so my hand shot out to meet her forearm. I pulled her up gently, while she found her balance again. She gave a nod of her own, out of thanks, and bowed to me. I returned it, as I watched her come into the well-known stance of the Hyuuga family.

Taking my own, I began the analysis on my cousin, watching for every strength and flaw she had.

And in those few moments that our bodies brushed, my body became elated, while my heart skipped a beat.

Yes. I, Hyuuga Neji, genius of the Hyuuga clan, had fallen in love with Hyuuga Hinata.

My clan leader. My rival. My cousin.

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AN: Okay! Done. I was hoping to do more stories of "WTF?" pairings. Once again, I have an Itachi and Hinata one-shot. Please try it out, it's not too bad, so please read it! AND REVIEW!

Well, till next time!

Much love,

Adobo-chan


	2. Seduction of a Porcelain Doll

AN: Hey everyone! I'm back and I haven't died yet, don't worry! This is the final chapter and I hope you all enjoy. I know you guys are waiting patiently and I'm sorry for the late update. But this is the end and I promise that you'll never have to wait for another update. Yay!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved.

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Seduction of a Porcelain Doll

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**Xx **Last Chapter **xX**

Placing my feet one after the other, I trudged to stand by her. She looked up again and climbed to her feet. She stumbled as she tried, so my hand shot out to meet her forearm. I pulled her up gently, while she found her balance again. She gave a nod of her own, out of thanks, and bowed to me. I returned it, as I watched her come into the well-known stance of the Hyuuga family.

Taking my own, I began the analysis on my cousin, watching for every strength and flaw she had.

And in those few moments that our bodies brushed, my body became elated, while my heart skipped a beat.

Yes. I, Hyuuga Neji, genius of the Hyuuga clan, had fallen in love with Hyuuga Hinata.

My clan leader. My rival. My cousin.

**XxxxX**

Thrust.

Block.

Dodge.

Hit.

Fall.

Repeat.

This was the continuous cycle that we were in. Hinata had constantly been on the offensive and I allowed her to remain so. I watched as every muscle in her body worked from previous exhaustion to a dangerous adrenaline high. She attacked with the fury I had seen in her eyes when she fought me for the first time, the undying spirit that I had grown to admire, though silently, mind you.

She was constantly hit by my counters and I had been able to close down her chakra lines whenever I made contact. In the beginning, she struck and fought with a clumsy grace and seemed unable to evade me. But as the match pursued forward, I felt the strikes that I had easily dodged before fill with the same power she showed me not too long ago. Her hands fell into an easy rhythm as she fought to keep up with me.

I was impressed, yet again, by the fragile girl known as my cousin.

Her pace quickened and I matched it. My adrenaline was starting to rise, which hadn't happened since my match with Naruto. He was the only one who even rose a little bit of energy in these veins of mine. Now, though, I was enthralled by my fiery female-counterpart. Her heart that she kept locked in and her spirit that had been broken with the many duties she would one day uphold, she fought despite all of this.

I suppose she wanted her freedom and fighting was her said liberty. She fought to keep herself from falling completely for our family's traditional ways, to have something to keep sane. Our fighting ran only within out blood's ranks, to keep some semblence of unity, but she used it to be diverse. Her fighting was an extension of her pain, her similar imprisonment, and we both used this power to distinguish ourselves from our family, however hard it was.

I was known for my heartless ways, my "no mercy" mentality. This was how everyone knew me, not just as a genius of a great clan. I wanted them to know I was more than that, as was she. Pacifistic by nature, Hinata-sama hated fighting. But, since she had no other way to release all of her tensions, she fought harder and stronger, pushing her limits. She wanted so badly to reach some goal, even if what it was was a mystery in itself.

But I have a feeling that Uzumaki had something to do with it.

And, despite my growing respect for the fox-boy, I still felt my blood burn with some strange feeling. The thought that he had claimed her thoughts brought a sense of foreboding, something I had never felt before. I didn't want it, this feeling, but I had done everything I could to forget. I wanted so badly to disengage this emotion, something I was so unfamiliar with.

But, lately, I've been doing and feeling a lot of things not like me.

Pushing the thought out of my head, I quickly noticed that Hinata-sama had stopped her onslaught. Instead, she opted for a crouched position, hands on her knees to support her. She wasn't on the floor, her knees were merely bent in a very tired stance. Her breath came out in the same pants she had when I first had come across her. The dark, short hair had fallen around her face, obscuring my view irritably.

I forced that thought away and concentrated on my less-than-deep breaths. I had to admit, with a small sense of pride, that this little leader was definitely more complex than I thought. When she was weak, she fought with a tenacity greater than any other. When she was tired and on the brink of falling, she still kept moving forward. Even when she was so willing to quit, she held her ground with a fireceness that was oddly becoming of the younger girl.

Walking over, she had finally fallen on her knees, her neck craned so her face was turned upward. She breathed deep in desperation to get oxygen to her aching muscles. Her characteristic eyes that had been known throughout our family were now gone, blocked by her eyelids. She didn't even turn her head when I approached.

"Are you all right?" I inquired as she finally opened her eyes. Her blany eyes couldn't seem to focus on me, though she did search for the origin of my voice. Her short pants were now breaths, though they were somewhat painful, I could tell.

"I-I'm fine... Neji-'niisan..." she whispered and I narrowed my eyes. I hated that citation, the one that signified me as if I were her brother. We were not siblings, but she called me such a name because it was expected. I was her blood relative, older than her, and I suppose that demanded respect, though she was heir to the clan. But that didn't mean I had to accept her name for me.

Taking her chin between my thumb and forefinger, I pointed narrow eyes at her. I could see her pale reflection through her own ivory orbs, which shone with a mix of fear and confusion. I could tell she wasn't expecting such a forward approach, since it was not how I usually acted. I was slow, calculating, and forever stalking my prey. However, there were times where I wished words would flow from my mouth on impulse and actions would immediately kick in. Being spontaneous was never something I was good at, but this was something she did somehow. I was able to react, for once, without thought or regret for what she'd do in turn.

"Hinata-sama," I said softly, taking in her widening eyes. She had parted her lips slightly, almost as if she was ready to talk, but kept silent. Her face was painfully expressive as she looked me straight in the eye. No, I don't think she'd ever make a very good ninja. She panicked too much, despite her obvious improvement.

"Please don't call me that," I asked her and she gave me that confused stare again. She opened her mouth to inquire what I was talking about, but immediately closed it when I continued.

"I am not your brother, Hinata-sama," came my reply and her eyes shone with some hurt, "I am of your family, yes, but please don't call me your brother. It's much too... awkward..."

"But why?" her tone was innocently pained and her face had darkened with her blush. I didn't want to hurt her. Far from it, I wanted to mean much more to her than that. I wanted our relationship to be more than just blood that we shared.

_Because I don't want it to be _just_ family ties that hold us together._

"Because there is nothing holding us together besides our family. I may be older and your cousin, but that does _not_ make me your brother," I said with a slight glare, but I wasn't trying to intimidate her. I merely wanted her to understand that this bond we've forged is bigger than just relatives. What I felt for her was _not_ how I was supposed to feel. I was expected to care for her like a sister, but it went beyond that.

Call me sick. Call me twisted, but I don't care. I'm in love with my cousin and I hope she understands. It doesn't matter to me about how she may feel for Uzumaki, or how she may not care for me the same way, I still wanted her. It was wrong, right? But, in this strange clan of ours, anything was normal to us. Just like how my feelings for her may not be looked on well by other, who didn't understand, but are easily acceptable once you get past our similar blood and eyes.

I just needed to prove it to her.

I studied her face carefully, noting the way she tried to tear her eyes from mine. But I held her there, to keep her trapped in our unsaid game. I wanted to hold her to me as I was caught in the spell she weaved me in. Although our friendship, if you'd like to call it that, was created through force of family, I still lost myself to her. I fell for her, without my knowing or consent, but I won't fall into this chasm alone.

No. I'll take her with me, as we sail down this bottomless hole she has lead me down. Yes, although the symbolism is crude and fanciful, I fell in love and the comparison is very true to the situation. And I promised already that I would not fall alone.

Taking her chin again, I placed my face close to hers, our noses brushing. When they did, her blush grew deeper and her mumbles for the right words were lost to her and me. Enchanted by the mirroring eyes that were exactly the same, but so different from my own, I could taste her very sweet breath on my lips. I contained myself for such a long time, held back everything I had for her, but I wouldn't. Not this time.

I stopped her incoherent mumblings with a silent, chaste kiss.

It wasn't passionate and heavy, just a touch really. But I poured myself into that kiss, told everything I felt with that touch and I was waiting for her response. Whether it was rejection, requited, or merely no change at all, I wouldn't regret this small moment in time when she was mine for these timeless seconds.

We parted and her breath was reduced to her short pants, mixed between shock and lack of breath. My eyes remained closed as I felt her drop her head, almost making contact to my chest. Her hands had, unknowingly, clutched the hem of my shirt as she stared downwards. I refused to look at her and opted to turn my head upward, eyes still thrusted closed and arms dangling at my sides.

Now, it was her turn.

Her hands loosened and tightened the cloth of my shirt, her thoughts running through her head at a million miles per hour. I could tell she was still in a daze, feeling her shake her head slightly and making contact with my body on accident. I kept the shudders I felt at bay and finally had the courage to look down at her indigo hair. She was hunched close to me, despite the fact that I had suddenly kissed her. She seemed to gravitate towards my body, seeking comfort which was both comforting and awkward.

But I couldn't remain so idle as I watched her conflict with herself, though I couldn't see her turmoiled features. Her aura gave off waves that meant more than shock, but what they were was a mystery in itself. The arms that I had left at my sides had somehow wrapped around the smaller girl and my nose found her hair. The scent of herbs filled my noses, reminding me of her dream to heal, not hurt. She was bound to be a medical-nin, I couldn't help but let that thought wander, keeping myself distracted.

"Hinata..." I said, dropping the honorific. Right at that moment, she was not my leader and I was not her loyal servant. I was just a young man confessing my love, whether or not she was blood related did not bother me. However, that didn't mean she felt fine with advances from her cousin.

"N-Neji..." she replied as I felt her arms embrace my shoulders. The sound of my name, without the signal of _brother _attached to it, stirred something I had never felt. I dug myself deeper into her aura, placing myself in the crook of her neck. I wouldn't wake up from this dream, not if she had finally accepted me. The first person to truly love me as something more than a friend and not as family. Please, Kami-sama, don't make this some kind of trick...

Pulling away, though reluctant, I met her down-turned face. She had her visage pulled away but I would find my answer, here and now. I would not be denied the answer, no matter what the excuse. She had stayed hidden too long and had run too far, but I always followed her in her haste to get away. Now that I've caught her, there was no turning back.

I pulled that angelic face to look at me again and she met my eyes. Again, there was a conflict buried deep in those depths, which unnerved me. Would she choose Uzumaki over me? Was she truly not mine, had she ever really _been_ mine? I braced myself, waiting for the truth. But, as I watched her as she regarded me with those sad eyes, I bit back a wave of jealousy. Although assuming had never been me, I knew when I was beaten.

This was just another one of those times.

I turned away from the face that had been so full of mixed emotions. I suppose I lose again, Naruto. The thing is that you never did anything to get to her, not directly at least. Yet you still won her, heart and all. You're much more than I ever thought you were. Not only a brave fighter but a charmer that calms even the most untamed hearts. I can't even be angry at you, no matter how much I wanted to at this moment.

I stood up, turning away from my clan leader. That's all she was supposed to be after all. I crossed the line once, I'm not stupid enough to do it again. I've matured too much and have grown up too fast to remain stubborn. Some things are not meant to be. Hinata-sama and I were just among one of those things.

I walked slowly, my steps making a slight shuffle against the wood. It was the only sound I heard and I was glad. She made no move to console me, though it wouldn't have done any good if she did. She had made her choice, even though it was unspoken. Just the look of sorrow and pity on her features made me realize that I wasn't what she wanted and I accepted it.

I won't chase her anymore.

I reached out a hand to grab the sliding door. I wanted out, I _needed_ to leave. My composure was slowly starting to melt, though I wouldn't admit it to her or anyone else. A few minutes out of this place would clear my head and it would also bring back my hard wall around me, pushing back this weak heart. I was right from the beginning. Emotions and feelings... They're not worth anything. I won't forget so easily next time.

But, as I was about to exit, I felt a hand catch the one that was outstretched. I turned hard eyes to the one who restrained it and she flinched beneath my stare. I didn't want her pity. She didn't need to comfort me. I was a genius and a teenaged boy who had lost his childhood innocence, long, long ago. What makes her think a little compassion will mean anything to me?

I was ready to snap at her, to push her away like everyone else, but she beat me to it. She muttered something to me and looked me in the eye with her tired eyes.

"Please... Don't go," she pleaded, holding my hand in hers. I ignored the small tingly in my fingers, though it was becoming futile. The feel of her skin against mine had warmed me, but I wasn't sure of the extent. I wasn't sure if she had warmed _just _my hand as I felt her intwine our fingers lazily.

I looked at the hand she had taken in her own and back up at her flushing face. The paleness of her skin had now been sacrificed to the crimson on her cheeks. I watched her as she met my eyes with a doubtful stare. Did she think I was going to glare. I wanted to, I really did at that moment, but I merely stayed neutral. Whatever she did was not my problem or concern, unless it endangered herself or others.

I suppose my thoughts had run away with me because I now found myself turned toward Hinata-sama. Her eyes were now half-lidded and stared up at me with an innocent smile. I was trying too hard to read her that I completely forgot what her hand against my face, though I don't know how it got there, was doing. In those hesitant moments, our lips locked once more.

The taste of something unexplainably sweet touched my mouth and I felt an insatiable hunger grace my stomach. The need to deepen the brush of our lips stirred in me, but I held it back. I wasn't so stupid to take her a little farther but that didn't ease the need. Damned hormones...

I felt her pull away, her breath labored again, but I could still feel her lips brush mine lightly. She had not pulled so far away that she could turn back, but instead kept her face close to mine. I wanted to capture those lips again, whose hard gasps were against my own. The softness I had felt was less than an inch away and the need to make contact again was so tempting. However, I knew things couldn't be this easy.

"Hinata-sama," I said, pulling away from our semi-ebrace, if you'd like to call it such. She met my eyes and mine widened as I heard a small chuckle leave those lips. The same lips I had wanted to taste once more now exerted a melodic laugh. But what right did she have to giggle, at me no less? As I was about to ask, frustrated with her obvious delight in nothing, she beat me to it again.

"Now, now Neji," she said and that rush of feeling rode down my spine again, "If I can't call you 'brother,' then what makes you think I'll let you call me 'Master?'"

Her light laughter tickled the air as my eyes widened again, surprise making its way through my veins. All other thoughts had rushed past me and I looked at her with a small smile. Why was this girl so contagious? What made her shine so bright when everything seemed too dark and cold to understand?

Myself included.

"Neji..." she said, taking her hands and cupping my face and pulling her forehead to mine. My headband met her forehead and I silently cursed its placement at that moment. It denied the conact of our skin.

"I do care for you Neji, though I'm not sure how much. I'm not sure if it's love-"

"But it might be," I interrupted, waiting to see if she'd contradict me.

"Yes, but-"

"Then that's all I need to know," I said, and I embraced her in one swift motion. My arms wrapped around her again and I explained softly, "I don't need to know if you love me yet. We're still young and we have a lot more to do before love is actually there to be acknowledged. But I know there's something and I want us to find what it is, some day. Even if it's not love, it doesn't mean that it's not important.

"And even if we find someone else, I want us to never look back if we act on this feeling."

Even if she falls completely in love with Naruto...

Even if I end up never falling in love at all...

I want us to have the chance to find love. Maybe it's here and maybe it's not. I don't regret feeling these emotions if I can understand what they are. Love is a matter of opinion, I supppose. Whether it's unconventional, like ours, or the fairytale sweetness we all wish to find, it's okay. I just want to understand you, Hinata, because I think I've really fallen for you.

I know it may just be a one-time relatioship to you, but I'm willing to win your heart because I am a very stubborn man. I don't give up what I've worked hard to learn and understand. Maybe, deep inside, you've already chosen Naruto and you're here because you're confused. I don't know what the reason is and, frankly, I don't care. I'm here to make you love me, just as much as I love you. In the end, I want to be the only one in your heart, and no other boy may take that place while I'm by your side. I know I've fallen for you, while you're still not sure.

But, for you to get over Uzumaki, I'll just have to make you fall for me too.

SxSxSx

AN: Done! Not a great fic. I've done better but now my craving to write this is now over. I'm happy and I hope everyone is pleased. It's sort of an open ending. I suppose it depends on if you're convinced that these two are meant to be. I just like Neji and Hinata. Actually, I like Hinata with just about anyone so...

Please read my Itachi/Hinata one-shot. It's pretty good. Try my other fics too, if you like other styles. I'm a pretty diverse writer so I guess it depends on your preference. But, for now, REVIEW!

Well, till next time!

Much love,

Adobo-chan


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